It’s not just a day off work and a BBQ with family.
While we love those two things, Memorial Day is much more. For us at Louisa Jane, it’s a reminder of the freedom we have in the United States of America, and more than that, of those who gave their lives that we could be free.
for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address.
For many of us in Tremont, we may not even personally know a Veteran who passed away on a battlefield, but that doesn’t have to make Memorial Day any less sacred! We live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. It’s something to give thanks for, no matter how much has changed these past few years. To celebrate this great day, we put together some interesting facts:
- Memorial Day started in response to the 620,000 soldiers who lost their lives fighting in the Civil War.
- Many people called Memorial Day, “Decoration Day”, until it’s official name in 1967.
- In 1868, James A. Garfield, a Civil War General, delivered a speech at a Memorial Day event that lasted almost 2 hours.
- Originally, the holiday only was for remembering those who fell in the Civil War. After WW1 this was changed to remember every veteran who had fallen for our nation.
- Many towns celebrate with Memorial Day parades, and many people celebrate this holiday by wearing a red poppy in remembrance of the fallen.
Whatever this day holds for you and our community, let’s never forget those who went before us, that we may live a life we love.
